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21 Sep 2011 09:49

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World: American hikers freed from Iranian prison … finally

  • what After a process delayed by a judge’s vacation, American hikers Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were reportedly freed from an Iranian prison this morning.
  • how The two men were freed on a $500,000 bond — each — but the source of the bond money is being kept a secret by the lawyer for the men. Anonymous donor?
  • why The Iranian government jailed the men (and a woman who was with them) on spying charges, but their main crime seems to be trespassing. Crisis over. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Mar 2011 10:46

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Biz: Job numbers: Why Feburary’s numbers are particularly promising

  • 8.9% the unemployment rate in February, the lowest it’s been in over two years
  • 192k the increase in nonfarm payrolls – the biggest monthly leap since May
  • 58k the jump in January’s payroll numbers in revised estimates source
  • » Why this jump is a pretty big deal: Simply put, this is all private-sector growth, meaning that business are hiring again. It’s not nearly as quick as economists want it, but the growth is promising, so they’ll take it. Also worth noting – the jump in jobs last May was due to the Census, which means that those were here-today-gone-tomorrow-type jobs. This is actual, real growth. Hopefully it keeps up.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Mar 2011 10:19

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Biz: Unemployment: Jobless claims numbers hit three-year low

  • 362,000 the number of new jobless claims – down 20,000 from the week before and overall fairly low
  • May ’08 the last time the numbers were lower than this – with suggests a positive downward trend source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Jan 2011 09:35

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Biz: Unemployment dips in December, but job growth only moderate

  • 103,000 the increase in jobs last month – decent but lower than expected (and mostly private job growth)
  • 9.4% the decrease in unemployment, which is down nearly half a percentage point source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Jan 2011 11:23

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Biz: Could unemployment rate drop? Key indicator looks very positive

  • 297k new payrolls among private employers in December, according to payroll processor ADP, which tracks stuff like this
  • 100k new payrolls were expected in the December survey, so this is an extremely positive sign for economic growth
  • eleven straight months of growth for private-sector payrolls … but will unemployment drop? (those numbers will come Friday) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Dec 2010 12:10

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Biz: New jobless claims back down to pre-financial-crisis numbers

  • 388,000 the number of new jobless claims last week (the week of Christmas), the lowest it’s been in ages
  • 07/12/08 the last time new jobless claims dipped below 400,000 in a week – in the midst of the housing crisis source
  • » Is this a corner turned? It’s important to note that while weekly jobless claims figures aren’t exactly the end-all-be-all of unemployment statistics, the number has been headed in downward direction for weeks and is nearly 250,000 less than its peak in March 2009. While the numbers are seasonally adjusted, the Christmas holiday can have an effect on them, so it’s good to keep an eye on this number to see where it goes after the first of the year.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jul 2010 09:13

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U.S.: With no new oil coming, the oil slick is starting to dissipate

  • good The oil slick seems to be clearing up a lot quicker than anyone anticipated, dissolving on its own in many spots.
  • bad This doesn’t mean that the oil is completely gone however, and it could still be harming animals below the surface. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

16 Jul 2010 10:57

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U.S.: Did BP’s capped oil well remain sealed overnight, guys?

  • YES which is a very positive sign; hopefully it keeps up source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Aug 2009 21:34

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Biz, U.S.: The Federal Reserve thinks the economy’s back on track

  • This is a vote of confidence that the credit markets and economic outlook has improved and will show even further improvement down the road.
  • Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd. CFO Christopher Rupkey • Discussing what the Federal Reserve’s decision to slow down the buying of U.S. Treasuries. This is very good news for the economy, and the economy responded accordingly, with stocks up today. They still plan to continue the $300 billion program, but with an end date of October instead of September. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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